


Focus on the Now

by Yadirocks



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-30
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-30 03:39:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6407245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yadirocks/pseuds/Yadirocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yadier didn't like it when Adam mentioned the Hall of Fame. He didn't like it when he was hurt or when he wasn't able to play. He didn't like to leave his glove anywhere out of his sight. Yadier didn't like a lot of things, Adam knew, but he loved his teammates like family, which leaves Adam wondering...why would someone hurt him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Glove

"I swear, if they don't put you in the Hall of Fame, I'll refuse to go in," Adam said, throwing his empty water bottle into the recycling bin. Yadier sat on the bench in the locker room, conditioning his gloves. Yadier didn't even try to look up to see the look on Adam's face. "Adam, it is just an article. Their goal was to make you mad, and it seems they did a good job. I'm not concerned with the Hall of Fame right now, and you shouldn't be either."

The pitcher sighed, sitting down in the locker next to Yadier's. "When will you be concerned with it, then? Won't you be upset if you don't make it? You deserve it more than-"

Yadier gave him a glare. Adam went silent, averting his gaze. Yadier returned to conditioning his glove in silence. Adam tried to lighten the mood again by laughing slightly and saying, "You take better care of that glove than I take care of my kids."

"If I don't condition them, they will break. I'd rather go through two gloves a season than fifteen. So, I have to keep them good as new, or they will fall apart and end up in the dumpster."

He cleaned a small smudge off as gently as possible, and Adam realized that Yadier was really boring during this time. "Well, if you need me, I'll be getting ready for the game," he muttered.

Yadier sighed when the door closed, staring at the spot where Adam had just been. He hoped Adam didn't think he was mad at him, because he wasn't. However, Adam knew he didn't like it when he mentioned the Hall of Fame. "Focus on today," his father had told him once when he was ten years old and was telling his father all about his plans to play baseball and be just like him. "If you focus on the now, then tomorrow will be all the sweeter."

Yadier placed his glove down as carefully as possible, knowing that in just a few hours, it would need more conditioning. He didn't really care, if he was honest with himself. He liked the time alone to clean his glove. It allowed him to think about things other than baseball, which didn't happen often. Adam would get over it if he thought he was mad at him, he decided, and grabbed his gear bag, placing his glove inside before making his way to the field.

***********

"You're doing something wrong."

"What?"

Yadier leaned on the hilt of a bat, gazing at Carson Kelly. "Do it again."

Carson nodded, getting back down into his crouch. Mike Matheny threw the ball from the pitcher's mound. Carson caught it, and moved to transition to throw, but Yadier shouted, "Stop!"

Carson froze, head turning to look at Yadier. Yadier stepped forward, moving Carson's arm back just a touch and rotating his body so that his left foot was facing second base, where before it had facing more towards the shortstop position. "Whenever you transition from the crouch to the throwing position, make sure you step toward your target. You're stepping towards the shortstop, which means it's going to go right by him as he runs to make the tag. Try it again," he said, moving away from the action, picking up his bat and leaning back on it.

Mike gave a quizzical look at Yadier, who simply nodded, gesturing for him to start throwing again. Mike shrugged and threw the ball. He had suspected that something was off with Carson whenever he threw the ball right past Tejada into left-centerfield, but he couldn't pinpoint what the problem had been. Carson caught the ball and miraculously, he threw it right on the money to Tejada, who gave a slight fist pump and a thumbs up to Kelly. 

Yadier nodded. "That was a good throw. Be sure to take that step towards second base every time. It will help with your accuracy," he said, picking up the bat and heading to the clubhouse for lunch. When Yadier left, Mike met Carson halfway. "I'm guessing he found out what was going on with that throw of yours," Mike said, not able to help the amused tone in his voice. 

The young catcher nodded, watching as Yadier disappeared into the locker room. "If he tells me I need to change something as big as how I eat or sleep, I'm going to listen. He's the smartest guy here. No offense, Coach," Kelly said, giving Mike a quick smile.

As Carson scampered off to the locker room, Mike picked up an abandoned glove, opening and closing it quickly to test how much it had been broken it. To his surprise, it was a really nice glove, though it had a small tear in the side of it that looked like the person who owned it had tried to mend, but had eventually given up. He turned the glove in his hand, frowning when he realized it was Yadier's, recognizing the gold lettering on the side. "Strange," he murmured. He knew Yadier would never just leave his glove in the grass. 

Carson suddenly rushed up the steps, looking around frantically. When he spotted Mike, he ran over, grabbing his arm and tugging him towards the dugout steps. "Woah, slow down, Carson. What's going on?" he asked, forcing Carson to stop. The younger catcher looked desperate. "Mike, Yadi got hurt and I don't know how. I was walking to the clubhouse and I saw blood and...and..."

Mike's eyes widened, his hands dropping the glove, and this time, he was the one dragging Carson along.

He left the glove behind.


	2. The Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Yadier is in the hospital, Adam and Mike discover new evidence.

For the last four hours, Mike had seen nothing but white. White sheets, white walls, white clothes. He couldn't stand hospitals. For a place where sickness and loss happened, they tried to make themselves look as clean and pure as possible, and it made him sick. The only thing worse than being in a hospital was being the person who was in the hospital bed. However, this time, it wasn't Mike, and this knowledge was also painful, considering who WAS laying in the bed. 

Adam Wainwright sat in the chair on the other side of the bed, holding Yadier's hand. The catcher was still unresponsive and had been since Mike had ran into the bathroom and discovered him leaned against the wall, bruised and cut everywhere. From what the doctors had discovered about his injuries, whoever had done this to Yadier probably would've killed him if Carson hadn't came down the hall. His neck was purple from where they said the person had tried to strangle Yadier, and most likely was in the midst of doing so when he fled the scene. The reason Yadier was unconscious was because of a giant knot on his head, where he had hit it on the wall, and his head was wrapped in gauze to protect it. His arm was in a sling because it was dislocated. 

Adam stared at his best friend, guilt and anger consuming him. He felt guilty for leaving Yadier alone. If he hadn't waltzed out on his friend because of his boredom and frustration, maybe this wouldn't have happened. He was angry at himself and angry at whoever would do this to Yadier, who would never harm a fly. "Do you think he'll wake up soon?" he asked hopefully.

Neither of them took their eyes off the catcher. Mike sighed heavily, twiddling his thumbs. "I hope so," he said, staring down at the sheets.

It was silent. The only sound was the droning beep of the monitor that was keeping track of Yadier's heartbeat. Adam didn't take his eyes off of Yadier's face, watching for any simple twitch or flutter of the eyelids that would signal he was waking. None came.

Mike stood up, stretching. "I need to get back to the boys. You can stay here if you want, but remember, we still have other responsibilities. He'll wake up soon and he'll be fine once we find out who did this."

Adam sighed, knowing that Mike was right. Even though he wanted to stay with Yadier and be there when he woke up, he knew that he had a job to do. 

The next morning, Adam and Mike left Yadier in the safety of the hospital and went to the ballpark. When Adam walked into the clubhouse, Brayan Peña gave him a small smile. "Hey, Waino," he said, returning his attention to the screen in front of him. Adam set down his gear bag in his locker. 

"What are you looking at?" Adam asked, looking over Peña's shoulder. Peña jotted something down on a notepad. "Watching video, nothing new. Trying to find something we can use in a game."

Suddenly, Adam froze. Video. That was it. There had to be a video camera that was set up in the hallway outside of the bathroom. Adam gave a fake smile to Brayan and said, "I'll be right back. I have to talk to Mike about something."

He calmly walked out of the room, making sure no one was watching, before he ran down the hall, bursting into Mike's office. Mike jumped at his entrance, and said, "Adam, you look like you just saw a ghost. What's going on?"

Adam shut the door quietly before saying, "Mike, there wouldn't happen to be any security cameras setup near the dugout bathrooms, would there?"

Mike's eyes widened. "Yes, there are..."

They shared a look. Mike rubbed his face tiredly before rolling his swivel chair over to another computer and typing a password into this one so fast that Adam wouldn't have had time to memorize it even if he had wanted to. Several cameras throughout the stadium popped up. 

"I only have access to a few of these cameras, but I know that at least one is down that hallway. Maybe we caught something last night before Yadier was beat up."

He backtracked until he saw Yadier enter the hallway from the dugout. Both watched earnestly. The catcher was walking down the hallway, head down, when suddenly, someone dressed in all black and with a cap low on their head to hide their face appeared from the hallway that came from training room. They pushed Yadier against the wall before he could react, pinning his right arm behind him, probably how he dislocated it, and covering his mouth with their hand. They pulled out a knife and held it to his throat, but he accidentally cut it on Yadier's arm when Yadier squirmed to get away, causing blood to fly onto the floor.

They watched in horror as the man apparently said something that made Yadier struggled harder, and the man shoved him into the bathroom. Less than thirty seconds later, the man in black ran out of the room, and the logo on his hat became clear. Reebok. Then, Carson came into the frame just as the man ducked out of the exit doors. Adam and Mike met each other's eyes, mouths open in shock at what they had just seen.

"I...certainly wasn't expected to capture that much of it," Mike said, leaning back. "We definitely need to show this to the cops."

"At least this proves that Carson wasn't the culprit. I didn't think he would harm Yadier anyway," Adam said, sitting down in a nearby chair. They sat in silence. "I only know three people on our team that wear Reebok hats: Michael, Stephen, and Trevor. Michael has an alaby because I was with him the entire time, up until we heard the news, so that leaves Stephen and Trevor, as far as I know."

Mike pulled out his cell phone. "Adam, I think it's best that we keep this case quiet. We tell the boys that Yadier got beat up and we don't know by who or how, and that he should be fine. Don't tell any of them that we have video, and certainly don't start acting different around Stephen and Trevor. They'll notice," he said, before calling the police and telling them of the new evidence.

Adam stared out the window in Mike's office at the players that were filing out for batting practice. Why would someone hurt Yadier, and more specifically, why did they try to kill him? Adam felt determination rise up inside of him. He was going to solve this mystery for his best friend. Hopefully, Yadier would wake up soon and recall the entire event, and then they'd know for sure.

For the time being, Adam had no choice but to be an actor.


	3. The Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yadi wakes up and Adam discovers more evidence

Adam and Mike went back to the hospital after the game. Yadier was still in the same position, still unconscious. The nurse that had been assigned to Yadier patted his hand before she left. "He woke up earlier for a very short time, so we know that he isn't going to go into a coma," she told the two. "Let me know if you need anything."

She sauntered out of the room. Adam sat down in the seat he had been in before. "It makes me feel bad that he woke up and we weren't here," he admitted. Mike sat down too, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "He'd understand. He knows that baseball is a business, like it or not."

Adam nodded. He stared into Yadier's face, willing him to wake up. He missed talking to Yadier. He didn't have anyone else to tell his problems to, or anyone to calm him down on the mound. Peña tried, but it just made Adam more sad. He tried to pretend that it was Yadi behind the plate, but he knew it wasn't, and missing Yadier was like missing a limb. 

Suddenly, to Adam's surprise, Yadier's eyelids fluttered. He sat up straighter, wondering if he'd just imagined it or if Yadier was really trying to wake up. When his eyelids fluttered again a few seconds later, it was all Adam could do to contain his excitement. Mike must've noticed too, because he said, "Come on, buddy, open your eyes."

The both waited anxiously. Finally, finally, Yadier opened his eyes, blinking slowly. Mike moved to sit on the edge of the bed so Yadier could see him better. "How do you feel?" he asked gently and slowly.

Yadier blinked at him, before his eyes traveled around the room. He closed them again. "Where am I?" he asked, his voice a whisper. Adam answered, "You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

Yadier opened his eyes again. He took a while to respond. Mike put a comforting hand on his uninjured shoulder, hoping to ease his mind just a bit. "I remember...pain."

He winced, closing his eyes. He seemed absolutely exhausted. "Do you remember anything else?" Adam asked. 

Yadier started to breathe hard. Mike exchanged a glance with Adam before he took squeezed Yadier's shoulder. "Shh, calm down. Get some rest. We want you to focus on getting better, okay?"

Yadier managed a small nod. Mike stayed where he was, pulling the sheets up over Yadier a little more. "Do you need anything?" he asked. 

The catcher was silent for a moment, before he whispered so quietly Mike almost didn't hear him, "My head hurts."

Mike smiled sympathetically. "I'll see what the nurse can do. Maybe when you wake up again, you'll feel better."

Yadier turned his head in response, and soon, his breathing evened out in sleep. Mike sighed, getting off of the bed. "Poor kid," he whispered. Adam agreed silently. 

***********

Yet another game brought Mike and Adam back to Busch. Adam was afraid to leave Yadier behind on their road trip in three days. It was a pretty short one, just a 3-game series, but he still hated to leave Yadier when he was in his condition. 

Even though Adam was a good actor, he kept a close eye on Stephen and Trevor. After the game, they were all putting up their stuff when Stephen suddenly dropped something out of his bag. Adam looked out of reaction and his heart nearly stopped. It was a Reebok hat, a black shirt, and black pants.

Stephen looked confused, and picked up the hat and outfit. "How'd this get in here?" he asked himself, before shrugging and putting it back in his bag. Adam stared at the bag. He needed to find a way to snatch it and get it to Mike before Stephen left.

Stephen saw him staring, and asked, "What?"

Adam faked a smile. "Mike's doing a bag inspection today. He said he wanted us to leave them in his office before we left, make sure that some of us aren't hiding any weed or alcohol."

He made sure to look at someone who obviously did both of these things, and his eyes somehow landed on Randal Grichuk. Stephen laughed, and said, "Randal isn't high, he's just stupid. But if it's Mike's orders, I guess there's no way around them."

Adam stood. "I was just about to take mine to his office. I can take yours if you want."

Stephen thought for a moment. "Sure. Thanks, Waino."

Adam took the bag, wondering if Stephen really did do this to Yadier. He seemed pretty willing to hand over the bag. Maybe he just didn't believe that they knew about the Reebok hat and black clothing. He hoped that that wasn't the case as he stepped into Mike's office. Again, he closed the door. "I found some more evidence."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "How'd you manage that?"

He plopped the bag down on Mike's desk. His eyes widened when he saw that Stephen's name was engraved in black on the side of the bag. "Open that and tell me what you find."

Mike shrugged, opening the bag and rummaging around for a moment. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "How'd you find out this was in here?"

"It fell out of his bag. I told him you were doing bag inspections and offered to take his bag here. Either he didn't know that we know, or he didn't do it, Mike. Someone put that in there and is trying to frame him."

Mike sat back. "We'll question him tomorrow. Keep doing what you're doing, Adam."

Adam smiled. "We're going to find whoever did this so Yadier can get some justice for what was done," he said, before leaving Mike's office, new determination set in.


	4. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> None

"I swear, I didn't do it, Mike," Stephen claimed, his hands gripping the rests of his chair until his knuckles turned white. Mike took off his reading glasses and rolled his chair over to the bag. "I want to believe you, Stephen. However, during my...bag inspection...yesterday, I found this in your bag," he said as he took the outfit and hat down from one of his shelves. Stephen quirked an eyebrow.

"What about a hat and some black clothing makes me a suspect?" he asked. Mike smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked. We managed to capture some footage of the man who did this to Yadier. The person was wearing black clothing and a Reebok hat just like this one. Tell me...how did this happen to get in your bag?"

Stephen shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea. That's not even my hat. I only own one Reebok hat, and that one is red with a white logo to match my uniform. I don't own another Reebok hat," he told Mike, scratching the back of his neck with his right hand. 

Mike wheeled himself back over to sit behind his desk, leaning his elbows on the wood so he could look Stephen in the eyes. "Were you in the training room at all on the day Yadier was attacked?"

Stephen sighed, rubbing his chin. "Yes," he answered honestly. "I was feeling some discomfort in my throwing arm so I went in to get some ice on it. I left the room before practice was even over. Then I went back to the clubhouse to get my stuff together."

Mike studied Stephen closely. He looked a bit nervous. Mike said, "If I were to ask Yadier if you did that to him, would he say yes?"

Piscotty looked up, meeting Mike's eyes. "No. I would never hurt Yadier, Mike. I'm just as lost as you on who did this."

He was telling the truth, Mike could tell. The manager stood, and said, "I believe you, Stephen. Don't tell anyone about this interview, since you are still considered a suspect based on evidence. This was just to know your story about what happened that day. When Yadier wakes up again, hopefully he'll be able to recall who it was that attacked him."

Stephen smiled, shaking Mike's hand. "I hope he gets better soon. We're all worried about him," he said, before grabbing his bag from beside the desk and leaving the room. As he left, Mike murmured, "Yes. Yes we are."

*******************

As predicted, the three-day road trip nearly killed Adam. He still believed that Stephen was the culprit, even though Mike told him that he wasn't. He continued to keep a close eye on all of his teammates, wanting to figure out who did this, and fast. 

However, when they returned, they received some good news from the doctor as they entered the hospital. "Mr. Molina woke up for longer lengths of time while you were gone and was more coherent," the doctor explained as he lead them to Yadier's new room. "He made such good progress that we were able to move him to a less intensive unit."

Adam was surprised at how much better Yadier looked. The bandage was still there, but his cuts had healed and the bruises were beginning to fade. His dislocated shoulder was still in a sling, but he had a bit more color in his face now. Adam was beyond relieved.

"He certainly looks better," Mike said, pulling one of the empty chairs in the corner of the room over to Yadier's bedside. Adam was left with nowhere to sit so he simply sat on the edge of the bed. The motion made Yadier's eyelids flutter, and he opened his eyes.

"Sorry," Adam whispered honestly. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's fine," Yadier said, waving away his apology with his good hand. Mike smiled at him. "So how are you feeling?" he asked, smacking Adam's hand when the pitcher opened his mouth to tell Yadier about the case. The catcher sighed, closing his eyes again. "My head doesn't hurt as bad," he answered, giving them both a small smile to reassure them. Adam relaxed in relief.

Mike switched Adam places, Wainwright taking the chair and Mike sitting on the bed, facing Yadier. "If you're feeling well enough, I'd like to ask you a few questions about what you remember," he said, squeezing Yadier's good arm. "If you're not feeling up to it, I don't want you to. I don't want to make you uncomfortable when you've been through something traumatic."

Yadier took a deep breath and said, "What do you want to know?"

Adam piped up. "Do you know who did it?" he asked. Yadier thought a moment, taking his time. "Yes," he whispered. Then, he nearly sat up straight, his eyes wide open. Mike pushed him back gently onto the bed. "Don't do that. You still have a concussion. What did you remember?" 

"The glove," Yadier said, swallowing hard. "Where's my glove?"

Mike and Adam exchanged a glance. "Yadier, your glove is in the trunk of my car, along with the rest of your equipment. Why do you ask?"

Yadier began to panick. "I need to see it," he demanded. Mike nodded, walking out of the room to go get his glove. He left behind an awkward silence. "Are you okay?" Adam asked, ready to explode if one of them didn't break the quiet. 

The catcher forced himself to ease back against the bed. "Yeah...I'm fine," he whispered, not meeting Adam's eyes. Adam hated seeing Yadier like this. "What do you remember?" Adam asked gently, putting his hand over Yadier's. The catcher turned his head to look at Adam.

"I remember too much," he said. "I don't even know how it happened. I was just walking down the hall, going to get some lunch, and the next thing I know, my face meets brick and I could feel my arm pop. He was too fast. He had me in a headlock before I could register anything. The scariest part was the knife. I thought..."

He stopped, looking upset. Adam squeezed his hand in comfort. "Take your time," he said. "I've got all day."

Yadier nodded, calming down and getting his breathing under control. After a few minutes, he continued. "He asked, 'Where's the glove?' I didn't know why he wanted it so badly. I remembered leaving it on the field on accident, and I hoped that he wouldn't find it. Then he said he would kill me if I didn't give it to him. I didn't know what to say. I didn't have the glove with me, but I wasn't going to tell him that because I was afraid he would kill me."

He looked up at the ceiling. "Then he shoved me into the bathroom and slammed my head against the wall. I remember was seeing sparks and then I felt someone on top of me, choking me. I couldn't breathe, Adam. I thought I was going to die...and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I couldn't call for help because I couldn't breathe. Something made him stop, I don't know what, and all I remember after that is more pain and then I woke up here."

They sat in a more comfortable silence this time. Mike returned moments later with the glove. Yadier visibly relaxed, taking the glove and staring at it. Mike glanced at Adam, who nodded. "Why would someone hurt me over this?" he asked himself. Mike and Adam shrugged. Yadier noticed the slice in the leather, frowning because it hadn't been there before. "What the..." he whispered, pulling it apart to reveal a slip of paper.

"What is that?" Mike asked, stepping forward to get a closer look. Yadier's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the slip. "I'm not sure. Looks like some kind of code."

Mike took the paper when Yadier held it out for him, eyes widening. "This is the combination for the safe in my office," he said. "That's the one where I keep all of my records and some of my salary in. Yadier, this is important...do you know who did this to you?"

The catcher stared down at the sheets. Mike frowned. "Well?"

Yadier swallowed hard, and whispered, "I know, but I'm afraid he'll come back if I tell."

Adam shook his head. "I'll be right here to make sure that that doesn't happen. Who hurt you, Yadier?"

The catcher didn't meet either of their eyes even as he whispered very, very quietly, "Pena."


End file.
